Leicester City must play dangerous game to help Patson Daka face unenviable task

Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy have shared the number one striker duties so far this season, but the Zambian needs to be shown patience if he is to ever fill the talisman’s boots.

Plenty of people have predicted it and he’s always proved them wrong. It’s a dangerous game declaring Jamie Vardy’s demise.

Ever since he hit 30, the traditional peak of an elite player, his slow-down has been a topic on the lips of fans and pundits alike. For outsiders, because Vardy was supposedly a striker who “relied on pace”, that drop-off would come sooner rather than later.

Yet, just two months until he turns 36, and he is the only player in the Premier League era to have scored more than 100 goals in their 30s. Last season was a prime example of him defying the odds. He missed the best part of four months with two injuries, the longest absences of his City career. That would be the killer blow, many said.

But when he returned, he scored five goals in the final month of the campaign to finish with a tally of 15, the sixth highest in the league. Given he only made 25 appearances, he had the best goals-per-game ratio in the whole division.

Given his journey to the top, it should have been recognised that Vardy was never going to follow conventional wisdom. He is unlike anybody else. But, he has had a slower start to the season than usual. He’s only scored one goal in 751 Premier League minutes.

So, while it’s been shown to be ill-advised to declare the Vardy is done at the top level, it feels like now is the right time to say he should not be City’s number one striker anymore. The club need to play that dangerous game, predict that this is the start of his demise, and make this the beginning of the Patson Daka era.

This handing of the baton has already begun to take place. In previous seasons, unless he was injured or there was a particularly gruelling run of games, Vardy would always start in the Premier League. That’s not been the case this term. So far, Vardy has started eight league matches to Daka’s seven. In the eight-game renaissance, it’s 5-3 in Daka’s favour.

But not everyone is convinced by the Zambian. There are certainly areas of the game where he is comfortably Vardy’s inferior. The nous that comes with being a 35-year-old veteran means Vardy’s game intelligence and tactical idea is greater. His link-up play and choice of pass is so much better than he’s ever been given credit for too. That’s why he’s already got four Premier League assists this season.

That combination play is not something that comes naturally to Daka. What happens then is that he either loses the ball and it ends City’s attack, or he becomes isolated. Plus, he’s now gone six games without finding the net, so he arguably is not providing a goal threat either.

However, it is coming for Daka. While it is clear he lacks a little quality in possession, he’s getting better. The stats show that his progressive passes, chances created, and touches in the final third are all at a better rate than last season.

Crucially, he is a threat too, despite his current run without a goal. He is snatching at his opportunities at the moment, but he is getting them, such is his knack for scoring.

He is averaging 1.54 shots on target per 90 minutes and while that does not sound like a lot, it’s the sixth highest in the division. It’s more than the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Son Heung-min, and Mo Salah.

There is plenty of creative talent behind him in James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and he is making the most of that. Goals will definitely come if he keeps playing the same way.

Plus, his pace and energy is vital for City to press from the front, and restrict the opposition in their attack-building phase. Last week, Brendan Rodgers described Daka as one of the best defensive forwards in the division.

But most importantly, playing is how he gets better. Replacing Vardy is one of the most difficult tasks City have ever had, and, for a player, it’s one of the most unenviable positions to be in. Vardy is one of the most prolific strikers of his generation and also the greatest player in the club’s history.

Those are big boots for Daka to fill and right now, he won’t be able to. But there has been enough in his performances to suggest he has the potential to do so. The only way he fulfils that is if he is given the opportunities.

He is raw and he is going to make mistakes, but he needs to be persevered with. If he is ever going to be Vardy’s true successor, he needs to take over as City’s number one striker now.

(Credit – Leicestershire Live)